


A Look Through Glass

by Nimbiose



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Women, F/M, Multi, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2015-06-09
Packaged: 2018-04-03 13:28:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4102675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nimbiose/pseuds/Nimbiose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Glimpses of new possibilities had things played out differently, in which Tsuna's guardians are not quite what you'd expect. This does not make them any less deadly. An experiment with a different tenth generation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Storm

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted to ff.net in 2011.

I-Pin could barely recall the first few months in Sawada’s house, in fact she could mostly remember feelings: joy, comfort, safety and annoyance at Lambo. The first distinct memory is that of a group of men dressed in black who, for some reason or other which a five-year-old could not understand, meant them harm. She would sometimes dream of blond hair, knives in the darkness and strong gusts of wind. It was understandable: most people tended to forget the things they lived through when they were still young, still children.

I-Pin had still been young when the whole affair with Byakuran had sent them on an apparently one-way trip to the future. This did not mean she was wholly unaware of what transpired as she seemed to be with the Ring Battle, just that her memory was sketchy.

She recalled the inner security of the Vongola Base; Lambo’s antics and attempts to escape the oppressiveness of it. She also remembered a large white city, watching events unfold behind a glass. Last but not least, she occasionally had vague instances in which she could envision a forest, bright lights of all colors, and dinosaurs.

I-Pin knew that if she ever had any questions, she could ask, or even go through the Vongola files as she was sure the events had been documented accordingly, probably in a matter of hours after they had returned from the past. The Vongola were frighteningly efficient like that.

Another aspect that made the Vongola frightening was its feared assassination squad, the famous (or was it infamous?) Varia. It was not without a few well-placed threats and one or two bribes that she had managed to get Lambo to accompany her to their headquarters. As their car neared the building, she could see Lambo becoming paler. Their driver gave both them pitiful looks as he dropped them off at the gate, not daring to go any closer.

I-Pin waved at him as he drove off, and then confidently turned to march into the Varia’s entrance hall. Lambo followed stiffly, wondering not for the first time about the sanity of his friend. I-Pin pointedly ignored his mutterings as she strode forward confidently, until she reached the conference room. 

Opening the door and causing any conversation that had been going behind to cease, she walked forward and took a seat, no hesitation marring her movements, while her appointed bodyguard quickly shut the doors and stood quivering behind her.

“VOOOOOOOII! You’re late!” Squalo’s voice was the first to break the silence which followed her entrance to the conference room.

“I’m sorry, there was a last minute change – both Kyoko and Haru couldn’t manage to get away from their assignments on time, so, here I am,” I-Pin supplied with a bright smile to the roomful of assassins, herself and Lambo included.

Her explanation seemed to as much appease as aggravate her audience, but with a few mutters the conversation flowed on. The meeting was about the Vongola’s newest hit list for the Varia, as well as a list of expenses presented by the Varia which they deemed necessary. I-Pin had already been prepared and groomed for her part, which was to give them a strict budget. Kyoko and Haru had been firm on that front, and the memory of Bianchi’s threats over the video conference should the budget grow even by one number gave I-Pin the courage and determination she would otherwise not have.

The fact that she was no longer a lost little girl but a confident, teenage assassin working for the most powerful Mafia family also helped. The fact that she was a Guardian and that despite their lack of men the main Vongola branch had still dignified the Varia with one of the higher-ups being present at the meeting also won points in her favour.

As for her position in the Guardians, being the youngest one of all of them, it did not harm her credibility or importance. True, she was still in high school, and could do with much more training than she had the moment. However, the Varia had received the memories of the possible future, and they had seen potential in her younger self which, ironically enough, I-Pin could not quite recall. That final battle was one of the sketchier parts of her memories – she had apparently fallen unconscious at one point.

Whatever had transpired however had clearly earned her some form of recognition, because she was able to arrive at a reasonable budget with the group of madmen, although, - and she had to wince slightly at this -, Haru or Kyoko would’ve probably been able to pull it down much further than she had.

As the meeting concluded and they all stood up, I-Pin waited respectfully for the Varia Captains to file out first.

“Voi! Tell the little sword girl that I’ll be giving her extra training for taking so long!” Squalo, the first one to move towards the door, called out.

“Will do!” I-Pin replied brightly.

Neither Levi nor Lussuria had anything particular to tell her, although Lussuria did offer a shopping date sometime soon which “you better not miss sweetheart! Bring the other girls as well, we’ll have such a fun time!”.

I-Pin doubted Bianchi or Chrome would appreciate the invitation, and, as much as she was sure Lussuria would love to see Gamma, she didn’t think she’d be able to drag him along. Lussuria did manage to grope Lambo’s butt on the way out though (“Gyaah!” “Well, _you_ certainly grew up well, dear,”), so she figured it’d be alright.

Mammon paused by the door once, his protégé Fran waiting dutifully in the corridor with his signature dull eyes, just to once more plead the case for the budget. I-Pin grinned brightly as she refused, and the greedy baby sighed as he floated out and landed on Fran’s shoulder. I-Pin was sure the Arcobaleno was mentally calculating the costs for the next year for the Varia, and how they’d have to cope with what they’d be given.

Belphegor, the Varia’s own claim to royalty, was the last member of the assassination squad to leave the room.

(As a general rule, Xanxus refused to attend to these meetings, unless the Vongola Tenth himself was present. The only other occasion when he might venture out of his quarters would be when Kyoko came to visit and he was in the mood to see if her skills were still as close to his. I-Pin often wondered if the closeness Kyoko had with the Varia leader ever bothered Tsuna, but he took it all in good grace, bless the man.)

“Ushishishi, the prince deems you worthy of keeping him company this afternoon,” slightly startled out of her thoughts, I-Pin turned to her once-nemesis.

His hair was still blond, and he still insisted on wearing the white tiara, but Belphegor had not changed much since she’d last seen him. He was still taller than her, unfortunately, but that was something she had come to accept as unchangeable unless she hit a growth spurt soon.

Ignoring Lambo’s pleas behind her, (“I-Pin, you can’t say yes, c’mon I wanna _leave_ , these guys are _crazy_ , _please I-Piiiin_ ,”) I-Pin considered the offer for a few minutes. In what she had come to refer as Bel-speak, he was pretty much inviting her for a training session with him before she left. They’d usually end up pretty battered and with multiple cuts on both ends, but it was always entertaining, so…

“Sure Bel! Lead the way,” she answered with a large smile. Behind her, Lambo groaned and might have hit his head against the door. Bel twitched lightly in response to how she called him (“you shall refer to me as prince, peasant, and nothing else,” he’d told her more than once), but then simply grinned even wider, probably thinking about the many ways he could remind her of that fact by injuring her during training.

She didn’t care. She knew she could take a sparring session with him – they were almost on even ground now. The fact that one of her weapons was so similar to his own only infuriated him and made it all the more worth it for her, because she’d learn new tricks from watching him.

As they stood on opposite sides of the training ground, and Lambo watched on in despair, Belphegor drew his knives and activated his storm flame fast. He threw them at her speedily and then drew his second wave of knives. On her end, I-Pin countered the knives with storm-flame-infused shuriken, and then rolled out of the way to pull out her first pair of matching _hudie shuangdao_. She had more pairs hidden in her attire, but for the moment these were doing quite nicely, as they covered her from the ongoing assault of Belphegor’s second knife attack. Once it stopped, she herself lunged.

And as she ran towards her opponent, revealing her martial art training as she skilfully avoided new attacks, she was grinning. She was having fun, and, after all, she had always been an assassin. The fact that she was now the Vongola Tenth’s Storm Guardian did not change that – in fact, it made her want to train more and become an even better fighter.


	2. Rain

Haru had been young when she’d first joined the Mafia. She hadn’t even _known_ she’d joined the Mafia until fairly recently – at least, she hadn’t been fully aware of what it meant, especially when the Mafia Family you joined was the Vongola.

Sure, the incident with the Varia had been troublesome, not to mention daunting. Of their group of friends she was one of the few people, besides Tsuna, who had her feet firmly planted on the ground and realized the sheer insanity of the situation. Or close enough, anyway. Haru had been, as expected of any teenage girl suddenly facing an independent assassination squad in a battle that really had nothing to do with her, _extremely_ frightened. It was even worse when she found out she’d have to battle that man with the long, silver hair because _good lord, she’d seen him destroy a significant portion of a building with his sword and hurt her stronger friends_.

When she realized she’d be the one fighting him, or others like him, she crumbled. Haru refused to leave her room and go to school. Her parents worried, her friends worried, but no one could get her out. She had hoped that by locking herself up in her room, time would stop and she would never have to face that scary man with the beautiful hair. Her self-imposed confinement came to an abrupt end when a baseball hit her window.

Yamamoto Takeshi apologized profusely, and then offered to get them some sushi in compensation. Her parents, overjoyed that their daughter had finally been persuaded to leave the room (Haru had thought that their house was under attack), told him that they’d go to Takesushi instead.

She’d always been good enough at sports, but nothing otherworldly. Haru had fond memories of fencing sessions when she was younger – one of those demands only children are prone to ask from their parents, who pamper and spoil them too much to refuse – but that had been the limit of her acquaintance with a sword.

Obviously, Yamamoto Tsuyoshi saw potential. Perhaps it had been the fond stories her parents started to tell him once they sat down to eat, or maybe the way she had skilfully made clean cuts on the food whenever she’d helped in the kitchen (something which, with Tsuna, had been a common enough occurrence to pay for the repair damage).

Whatever the case, that night, instead of once more returning to her solitary confinement, Haru sat before the eldest Yamamoto in his training room. Yamamoto Takeshi had gone off to bed already (“Big game tomorrow!”), and her parents had left her in the smiling man’s care. Haru, however, was at a loss for why she was still there.

“Um…can I go?” she asked, timidly and rather out-of-character for her.

Tsuyoshi sighed, and then sat down in front of her, so that they were facing each other. He looked at her straight in the eye, which caused her to flinch slightly, and then nodded slowly.

“Haru, you’re scared right?” he asked.

“How’d you-“

“The baby came to talk to me, and I can see he’s right,” Haru bit her lip and bowed her head, for some reason ashamed to admit her fear in front of this man. The fact that a grown man had accepted Reborn’s diagnosis of her mood did little to ease her worries.

“Haru, you’re no longer the smiling, happy girl from before – the one who’d always be the first to stand up for what she believed in, or offer help and protection,” Haru seemed to curl up even more, wringing her hands but not stopping the man’s speech.

“And that worries me – I…well, God knows I don’t really want to do this to you, the path of the sword is not one I would wish on anyone, but the baby said this might help you be yourself again, and I can’t lie to myself and say you don’t have some measure of talent, but,” the man sighed, “you have to understand, I am giving you a choice, I am not forcing you to learn a technique that would otherwise die with me, nor am I saying you will be successful, I am merely saying I can teach it to you and that you have potential,”

Unknown to Tsuyoshi, Haru’s eyes had widened considerably as she listened and realized what this could mean. She could defend herself, and protect her family, her friends. She could stand next to Kyoko and I-Pin and Tsuna and not be ashamed of herself when compared to them. She could stop being the odd one out, and she could repay the loud man every single scar. As she pondered over the possibilities, Tsuyoshi seemed to back down at her silence.

“Very well Haru, I can see you’re not interested, come on then, I’ll walk you-“

“Hahi! What makes you think I’m not interested?” and as Haru looked up at Tsuyoshi, eyes once more bright and full of a burning resolve, Tsuyoshi gasped, before smiling.

“Alright then, we better start – there’s only so much time to learn the _Shigure Sōen Ryu_ , and we’ve already wasted enough,”

 

**-o-**

Ten years into the future, Haru blinked as she opened her eyes before closing them again and groaning at the bright light of a sunrise. Why was she awake?

“VOOOOOOII! Wake up, you lazy brat! It’s no time to be sleeping, we’ve got to train!”

Ah, she thought blearily, that’d be why. Groaning and her grunting as her sore muscles protested from having slept on rock the night before, Haru stood up and yawned. This seemed to only vex her companion more.

“VOOOOOII! You stupid brat, now’s no time to be yawning! We’re wasting daylight, now hurry up and grab your weapon!”

“Hahi! There is no need to be so rude and loud this early!”

“WHO’RE YOU CALLING LOUD?”

“Hahi! Haru thinks Squalo is getting deaf in his old age!”

“Why you- come here, you little brat! I’ll show you what it means to be a sword emperor!”

In the early lights of the morning, metal clashed and muscles moved. The Ring Battles with the Varia had happened ten years ago to the Squalo Haru was currently fighting, but it had only been a couple of months for her. Having been thrown unceremoniously into a conflict ten years from her time had been vexing and painful – not only had her parents disappeared, but Yamamoto Tsuyoshi and his son were nowhere to be found. Haru had dealt with it as best she could, and unlike last time when she’d locked herself away, she became a strong shoulder for Kyoko (whose brother was gone in the future), Tsuna and the rest of their Family.

According to her current sparring partner, his defeat at her hands ten years ago ( _two months_ , Haru thought to herself) had been true, but that didn’t mean she was ready for their upcoming battle with the Millefiore. He still hadn’t forgiven her for losing to Genkishi when, according to Squalo, he’d warned her something was off about the illusionist (Haru still wasn’t sure how he expected her to know that just from watching his videos – which were poorly edited, by the way, as she’d fully explained to him already, resulting only in more screams and swords flung in her general direction).

In the time since she’d first met Tsuna til now, Haru was beginning to understand what it meant to be a member of the Mafia, a Guardian of the Vongola’s Tenth Boss. It meant countless battles, it meant pain – physical and mental –, it meant wars, destruction, training, sore muscles and heartache. But it also meant having friends, teachers, acquaintances, and people who generally cared about each other and supported each other through everything (even if they didn’t really like each other).

So as her blue Rain flame flared to life and her Vongola ring lit up,  as her two swords (one _Shigure Kintoki_ and the other coming from a box weapon) were shrouded in the tranquillity of the Rain flame, as her box weapon was opened and a seal appeared, Haru just had to remind herself of one thing. Her training may be tough, and her teacher loud, but she was doing this for her Family. And she’d always go the extra mile for them.


	3. Sun

Sasagawa Kyoko had always been a simple girl, really. She enjoyed a simple childhood with simple toys, simple, if slightly prone to spoiling parents and she lived in a simple town. Her friends had been of her same ilk all through elementary school, and there was no reason to believe her middle school friends would be any different.

When the time came, however, Kyoko realized that the simplicity she had taken for granted would never come again. This did not mean, however, that she ran away, frightened, to her brother. Oh no, when it came to the few real friends Sasagawa Kyoko had made in her thus far simple life, she was the first to admit she was excessively protective – almost smothering.

Thus it was that, one sunny school day in Namimori Middle, she set to out to discover what was ailing one of her close friends, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Kyoko would be the first to admit she’d had a brief crush on him when they were younger (something about him protecting her from bullies which had only resulted in the kids bullying Tsuna instead), but in the past few months since middle school begun and a baby named Reborn had appeared in their lives, she’d been forced to re-evaluate her opinion of him, realizing that he was actually a very dear friend of hers.

So when she noted the dark bags under his eyes and the hardening of his eyes whenever he noticed the ring she’d taken to wearing after she realized it was somehow connected to him, Kyoko knew she had to act. Powered by the dazzling smile that had made her into her school’s idol, Kyoko had boldly asked Tsuna to have lunch with her and then, having gained his confidence enough, got him to tell the truth.

In all truth, Kyoko figured Reborn was right when he told Tsuna that it had been unavoidable. Especially when, having told Haru what Tsuna told her, they connected the dots and realized it all was related to the man with long hair that had attacked them in the shopping mall. Her friend hadn’t exactly taken that too well – Kyoko’d been worried for a long time when Haru confined herself to her room and didn’t want to see anyone. But she had her own problems to deal with as well.

Although she was significantly stronger than Haru – having taken self-defense lessons with her brother – it still didn’t mean she was anywhere close to being able to taken on a group of professional assassins. Her quick loss in the whole Rokudo Mukuro incident a month before was testament to that.

Kyoko was also painfully aware that, aside from those self-defense lessons, she had no weapon other than her limited amount of muscle. And, despite being strong-willed and stubborn, she was still a girl who disliked getting up-close and personal if she could avoid it. She momentarily had considered asking Bianchi for help, since she’d heard her being referred to as a well-known assassin, but instead opted for a different option.

“It’s quite brave of you to seek me out yourself,” Reborn told her, as he sipped his espresso languidly in his pupil’s kitchen. Kyoko smiled demurely and nodded.

“I didn’t have anyone else I could ask,” she replied.

“Ask what, exactly? This might surprise you, but your brother would actually be a very good tutor for someone with your attribute,” the infant replied. Slightly taken by surprise, Kyoko’s eyes widened. Quickly, however, she managed to compose herself and strengthened her resolve.

“I don’t think so – you see, I want to learn how to wield a gun,” well, _that_ certainly took Reborn by surprise. Kyoko decided to burn in the image in her brain for future reference, since she knew it wasn’t often that the baby hitman was so caught unawares that he spilled his own coffee.

Reborn soon managed to compose himself though, charcoal eyes narrowing slightly before a smirk settled on his features. He confessed, he was surprised by her decision, but to be against it would label him a hypocrite. Glancing up and studying the young girl before him with new eyes, he seemed to be searching for something in her gaze. Something he found – whether that was a good or bad thing, it would remain to be seen.

“I suppose that’ll do as well…I can’t train you personally, as I’d like to, since I have to take care of your stupid Boss-to-be but- I know someone who’ll do just fine…just let me make a few calls,” with a grateful nod, and a promise to be around more to Nana, Kyoko left the house.

When she got home, she was greeted by another infant, this one dressed in green military clothing, blond and with a rifle strapped to his back. Kyoko would bet a slice of her favourite cake that was no mere toy rifle the kid was carrying. When he saw her approach, though, he seemed to put up some kind of childish act, pretending to be a lost kid looking for his relatives home. Kyoko smiled amiably and chuckled, before pointing out the ring to him.

Instantly, his entire expression changed. Kyoko suddenly found herself staring directly at the rifle, before the child moved it to press against her biceps. As if nodding to himself, the baby grinned in a way that Kyoko could only describe as _sadistic._

“You’re muscles aren’t that bad, hey,” he said, “From what Reborn told me, you want to learn to play with firearms, but a strong body is always good to have anyway,”

Kyoko nodded, face turning serious as she listened dutifully.

“My name’s Colonello, and I’m going to make your life a living hell for the next few days, so try to keep up, hey,” Colonello grinned ferociously once more. Kyoko could only grin back in response, a dangerous glint surfacing momentarily in her eyes.

 “Sasagawa Kyoko, it’ll be a pleasure working with you,”

 **-o-**  

(Unknown to her, the hellish training she underwent with Colonello would never compare to the one she’d eventually receive from Xanxus and, in due time, Reborn himself.)

 **-o-**  

When she stepped forth to meet Lussuria, her opponent from the Varia, on the ring, she had a pair of handguns attached to her waist and carried a rifle on her back. Although she was good with the weapons (she was told later on in her life that she’d gained Xanxus’ interest from that very first fight), she still lacked the technical finesse and ability that she would come to be associated with as the Tenth’s feared Sun Guardian.

In this first conflict, her speedy training had served its purpose, and she was able to successfully win the first fight for the Vongola. As life continued and the Varia were defeated, Kyoko momentarily thought the simplicity of her life had returned, only to be rudely awoken to face the crude reality of the Mafia when they were sent ten years into the future.

A future in which her brother, Tsuna and Reborn were all gone. A future in which they were hunted down, a future she desperately wanted to avoid at all costs. A future in which Haru was the stronger one of the two for once – something which Kyoko was quick to fix when Reborn and Tsuna approached her separately about. Kyoko grinned and swallowed the pain, determined, in Tsuna’s case, to remain the same cheery, strong girl he’d always known so they could defeat this Byakuran fellow and return home to avoid this horrible, horrible future altogether. In Reborn’s case, she found herself craving to be accepted under his tutelage.

(Somewhere along the way, Kyoko actually found herself enjoying the strength that came with training – the idea of no longer relying on her brother for protection while still retaining her humble personality and consequently catching all who tried to do anything to her unawares. She was as excited by this prospect as she was frightened by it, since with it came a growing satisfaction at watching others fall before her because they underestimated her – a wolf in sheep’s clothing, as Xanxus had said more than once. Her bloodlust having woken, she set out to use it in the interests of the people important to her. And with more power, came more protection, for which she needed more training, and after Xanxus, Reborn was really the only one left.)

Sasagawa Kyoko was still a simple young woman ten years later, the people at her middle school reunion would say. They did not know that she considered wielding two handguns, a grenade and an army rifle just as simple. They did not know she viewed wrestling a bear into becoming her box weapon simple, or that she considered harming others simple if it meant protecting her Family. They did not know that she found it simple to retain the same bright, sunny disposition and ignore the sound of breaking bones whenever she had to interrogate someone from an enemy family.

They did know that Sasagawa Kyoko was a simple girl, with a simple childhood and the simple dream of peace in her life. Since she could not have that, however, Kyoko simply took the next best thing: her family.


	4. Thunder

Gamma had been absolutely against the idea at first. According to him, he already had a Mafia Family and a Boss whom he cared about deeply, thank you very much. Thus, one can imagine his surprise when he walked into his Boss’ office one morning, and found himself presented with the Vongola Thunder Ring.

He had met the candidate for the position of the Vongola’s Tenth Boss, Sawada Tsunayoshi, about a month earlier. The Giglio Nero Boss, Aria, had been in Japan on business and she’d decided to take a side trip to Namimori to meet up with fellow pacifier-holder and renowned baby hitman, Reborn.

At the time of the encounter, Reborn had been tutoring Tsuna, and Gamma had been faithfully accompanying his Boss. From what he remembered, Sawada Tsunayoshi was a short, thin pipsqueak who was as far away from being a big bad Mafia Boss as Gamma was of being Queen of England. He refrained from commenting however, because Aria had taken a liking to the kid and it was none of his business. Gamma had assumed he would never meet the kid again.

Fate, however, had a funny way of screwing up his plans. In this case, fate came in the form of one Sawada Iemitsu, Tsuna’s father and the Vongola Ninth’s External Advisor. Before leaving Italy for Japan, Iemitsu stopped by the Giglio Nero Family’s house. According to the man, Reborn had sent him a letter detailing Aria’s meeting with Tsuna, and had pinpointed him as a possibility for Tsuna’s Thunder Guardian.

Presented with this, Gamma did the only thing he could do. He refused, promptly and surely. Iemitsu, that tricky man, smirked before turning over to Aria, and informing her that if Gamma refused to do his duty (what duty? He hadn’t agreed to anything), the Vongola Tenth would be forced to include not one, but two five-year-olds in his circle of Guardians. Aria nodded, and quickly turned to Gamma, who was once again wholly ready to meet steel with steel and refuse.

**-o-**

(He found himself on the same plane as Iemitsu not three hours later, gritting his teeth and pointedly ignoring the overly cheerful man the entire flight.)

 **-o-**  

When they finally arrived at Namimori, the Ring Battles had already begun. The first battle had gone in the favour of the Vongola, who now held the Sun ring.

(Gamma was still unsure how an elite member of an also elite assassination squad was beaten by a middle-school girl. The information only served to strengthen his belief that this entire thing was a sham and that the Vongola were doomed anyway, so why try at all?)

Gamma, despite being the midst of the conflict, refused to take his position as Guardian candidate seriously. He also wanted to go back to his Boss and ask her what in the world she was thinking. Thus, he opted to face the Varia’s candidate, Levi-A-Than, armed only with his trusty gun.

(His ass had been handed to him and he was electrocuted to unconsciousness, only to end up being saved by Tsuna, who, despite knowing Gamma hardly at all, had risked not only Gamma’s half-ring but also his own Sky ring for a man whom he’d had a fond memory of.)

**-o-**

Gamma woke up right before the Sky battle, and despite being heavily injured, had to endure the poisoning and the fight due to the meddlesome Cervello. By then, however, his mind had already been made up. He owed Sawada Tsunayoshi his life, and because of that, he’d be the best damn Thunder Guardian the Vongola had ever seen.

But before he made that decision, he waited for his previous Boss to visit him at Namimori’s local clinic. Aria came in, beautiful and deadly as always, with a pleasant, understanding smile on her face.

“So, I’m talking to the Vongola Tenth’s Thunder Guardian, right?” she asked, chuckling.

“Cut it out Boss, there’s no need for that,” Gamma replied, blushing lightly and mentally damning his pale complexion.

“And there’s no need for you to call me Boss anymore either, is there?” she countered cooly, raising her eyebrow. Gamma frowned at that, because Aria was still, and always would be, his Boss.

“That’s not true Boss, you’re still my Boss and Gilgio Nero is still my Family – I just also happen to work for the Vongola now too,” he informed her. Aria stared at him in surprise for a few seconds, before bursting out laughing. Gamma stared and stuttered in response. 

“It’s just – you said it so solemnly! Of course you’re still part of the Giglio Nero Gamma – I was just teasing! I’ve already contacted the Ninth about a possible alliance given the new position of one of my best men in the Vongola,” she smiled, chuckling as his expressions changed, from slight anger to pleasant surprise.

“You are, of course, a firm part of the Vongola now, and there’s nothing I can do to change that if it is what you want – just know, you’ll always be welcome in the Giglio Nero,” she smiled one last time, tightening her hold on his hand, before leaning over and kissing his temple. Gamma, once again, blushed, and he continued blushing as she walked out the door without a backward glance.

The pale man was later on escorted out of the hospital by Sawada Nana and Reborn, who’d introduced Gamma as “Tsuna’s new tutor, Mama, nothing to worry about, he just needs room and board”. In the next few days, Gamma became a firm part of the ever-growing Sawada household, getting to know his new Family and especially his new Boss.

As he tutored the youngest Sawada, Gamma came to appreciate and recognize the kid for who he was. Sawada Tsunayoshi may not have been the most conventional of Mafia bosses – he did not have a clue how to disarm a gun, for one. He may not have had any idea about Mafia history – his knowledge was limited to “I use Primo’s gloves, whoever he was”. He may not have had even the basics of Italian down – the most anyone had gotten out of him had been ‘Bovino’ and ‘Vongola’.

But Tsuna had something else. Tsuna was the kind of Boss who would choose to give up the fight instead of seeing his loved ones get hurt (as was revealed to him through both the Thunder and Storm battles). He was the kind of Boss who extended the hand of friendship to those who had meant him harm. He was the kind of Boss who didn’t even want to be a Boss, but would take on the duty if it meant being able to protect those he cared about. And for all that, for all the changes he brought to his life and for how he opened his eyes, Gamma swore, he would stand by his side.

Thus it was that, when they were transported to a daunting future, Gamma stood straight and true next to his Boss, his billiard weapon ready and his twin black foxes with him. Because if there was one thing Gamma was, it was fearless and wholly sure of the man who would come to lead the Vongola. Because if there was one thing Gamma excelled at, it was being there whenever his Boss and the other Guardians needed it, standing up for what they all believed in, even when it meant having to forcibly open the eyes of his previous Family.

And if there was one thing Gamma would go down in Vongola history for, it was being the Vongola Tenth’s feared Thunder Guardian and Right-Hand Man.


	5. Mist

Four weeks before the Ring Battle started, five weeks after Tsuna had defeated Rokudo Mukuro, and three weeks after Ken and Chikusa’s escape at Mukuro’s expense, there was an unheard of incident in Vindice Prison. One of their inmates in the lower security cells had managed to escape, arm himself and subsequently mess with the Vindice’s main control room. It took four guards to finally subdue the man before he was thrown into the lower levels of the prison.

(A week prior to this incident, a car accident had landed a girl named Nagi in a comma and in a near-death state, with parents that did not care enough to help her.)

The inmate, however, had already done irreparable damage. By messing about with the main control room, he had severely changed the statistics for the high profile prisoners kept in the tubes in the innermost levels of the place. As a result, while some prisoners received higher levels of oxygen and nutrition, others received none at all, and died as a result. Among these was Rokudo Mukuro.

In a hospital bed, far away from the Vindice prison, the girl named Nagi had begun to spend more time in her inner world as a result of her comatose state, visited by a man who called himself Rokudo Mukuro. They talked often, and it was in one of these talks that he asked her if she was afraid of death. She said yes, even though she knew her life had little to give her. He then asked her if she’d help him if he prevented her death. The prospect of continuing to live and having a purpose in life was almost too much to bear. She agreed wholeheartedly.

(To this day, doctors continued to be baffled at the apparent miraculous recovery of a girl who was missing essential organs to continue living.)

A week into their relationship and four days after their agreement, the girl heard Mukuro’s voice calling out to her desperately.

“I am dying,” he said.

“No,” she all but gasped, tears beginning to cloud her vision, as she realized, selfishly, that the death of this man meant hers as well.

“Calm yourself, my dear, I have thought up a way to save both of us – although I will be honest, it will require great sacrifice on both our parts,” as he said this he swiped her long purple tresses behind her ear, and stared at her single eye.

“A-anything for you, Mukuro-sama,” she replied, entranced by his mismatched eyes and the possibility of life.

“Very well,” the man nodded, and closed his eyes in concentration.

The girl’s beautiful inner world, which resembled a garden with clear blue skies, was suddenly assaulted with darker clouds and wilder vegetation. The sun peeked occasionally in certain spots, such as a small table with a tea set, but for the most part the place had become dark and haunting. The grassy meadow was suddenly overtaken by a forest, ominous, thorny and full of hideously beautiful flowers. The clear lake, which had previously shined with the sun’s rays, was now full of lava.

In the hospital, a young girl opened her eyes. One was blue, the other a stunning red. She stood up from the bed, taking in her surroundings, before standing up to stare at herself in the mirror. A bit unsteady on her feet at first, she managed to get used to her new height, and eventually managed to reach the mirror.

The girl studied herself: she had the mismatched eyes of Rokudo Mukuro, and the purple tresses of a girl called Nagi. In terms of height she was somewhere between the two of them. Being female, she was lithe and soft, with dainty hands, but she knew that her muscles, reflexes and combat abilities were stronger than those of almost all men. Closing her eyes momentarily, she was pleased to note that her organs were perfectly fine, if a bit unnourished.

She twirled and inspected her new body, before righting herself and nodding. Noting the hospital gown she donned, she glanced at the pretty ruffled dress which had been hanged on the room’s dresser. Grimacing, she decided against it, instead quietly leaving the room, effortlessly shrouding herself in the illusion of a nurse as she left the building, a curious, trident-like object in hand.

**-o-**

“But we have no Mist Guardian!” Tsuna held his head, closing his eyes tightly. They needed to win this one!

His friends and Guardian’s looked at each other worriedly. Although they had won two of the battles, it was also true they had lost three of the half-rings, and this coming battle could turn out to be decisive. They had no idea who the Mist Guardian could be. No one seemed to notice Reborn’s confident smirk. On the other side of the gymnasium, the Varia looked smug.

“Ushishishi, seems you might not even have to fight, Mammon,” the self-proclaimed Prince grinned.

“Hmph, it’s a bit of a pity, really, I could’ve shown off for once,” the infant responded.

“Sawada Tsunayoshi,” hearing the Cervello’s voice, Tsuna looked up warily, “your Mist Guardian candidate needs to present their half of the Mist-ring for the battle to begin,”

“Ah, you see, we don’t-“

“Kufufu, you mean this?” all of the eyes turned to the source of the voice. 

At the entrance to the gymnasium stood a purple-haired girl, with mismatched eyes, wearing the female Kokuyo uniform. She held up half of the Mist-ring. Behind her stood Joushima Ken and Kakimoto Chikusa, both looking as if they’d rather be any where but there. Neither of them really took notice of whom appeared to be their leader, pointedly staring elsewhere.

“Wha-what is-ouch! Reborn!” Tsuna fell to the ground when his tutor kicked him.

“Quiet Tsuna,” the baby hitman glanced briefly at the girl, who smirked, before once more looking at the Cervello, “this is Tsuna’s Mist Guardian candidate, Kuromu Dokuro,”

The two women were taken aback slightly, before nodding to each other. Mammon stepped forward, and as the mysterious girl did likewise, the illusion battle began. Both the Varia and Tsuna’s group were subject to a display of potent illusions, and Tsuna’s Hyper Intuition continued to tell him that something was wrong with the girl (she wasn’t Mukuro, but she had his same aura, same powers, same _eye_ ). Ken and Chikusa, however, both refused to divulge any information on the matter.

“That girl made us come here after talking to that strange man, not like we wanted to be here, she’s nothing like him,” Ken growled out as means of explanation.

“You say that Ken, but you still walked here for Kuromu’s sake, you have to at least respect her then,” Chikusa replied, pushing up his glasses, and causing Ken to blush and state that that was “most definitely not the case, shut up already Kakipi!”

Tsuna stopped paying attention then, as the illusionist duel had gone far out of control then, as Mammon encased the girl in illusionary ice. The girl, (Kuromu, he remembered) merely smiled serenely as she twirled her trident ( _Mukuro’s_ trident), before fire pillars burst from the floor. Even as she continued to be surrounded by ice, she smirked. The match was almost declared over then, but the girl burst out surrounded by revoltingly gorgeous flowers. Mammon was no match for her. The finale to the fight was gruesome and Tsuna was sure he’d have nightmares for months – she had burst the child _from the inside_. His only consolation was when his new Mist Guardian stated that she had not killed the baby.

As the Varia left and Tsuna’s group filed out, he turned to stare at the retreating back of the three surprise guests. They were leaving already, presumably on their way back to Kokuyo Land. Kuromu happened to glance back at the exact same moment and their eyes met. As she smirked, Tsuna swore he heard Mukuro’s voice in the wind,

“I _will_ destroy the Mafia, Sawada Tsunayoshi, and you will help me do so,”

Shivering slightly, the teenage Boss-to-be turned to his tutor, who was also watching the group with a wary eye.

“Iemitsu said she’d do the job, and he was right, she’s perfect for the Mist position,” Reborn commented.

“But something’s bothering you? Who is she anyway?” Colonello, who had also been present at the match, landed next to his fellow Arcobaleno.

“She is both Rokudo Mukuro and a child called Nagi, and at the same time, she is neither,” the hitman tutor replied. 

“Eh?” Tsuna could not make heads or tails of that statement. Reborn smirked, and looked up at him, before jumping and seating on his head.

“Don’t bother thinking about it Tsuna, losers like you could never understand, just be glad she’s on our side,” _for now_ was left unsaid, but both Tsuna and Reborn were aware of it.

Kuromu Dokuro was a Wild Card – she was useful and they were glad to have her on their side, especially as the future events with Byakuran unfolded, however, there was no telling when she would turn against the Vongola instead. Tsuna hoped to change her mind before it was too late.


	6. Cloud

If you asked M.M., she’d tell you she had nothing whatsoever to do with the Vongola Family. Like Mukuro and the rest of the Kokuyo gang, she absolutely despised the Mafia. However, M.M. was a practical person, and not above going out of her way to obtain her goals. In this sense, M.M. was very much the shrewd businessman making a temporary arrangement that fit with his goals at the time, only to later turn tail and disappear. 

As such, M.M. grudgingly accepted the fact that being the bearer of the Vongola Cloud Ring gave her power she otherwise would not have. Thus, she was at times a member of the Vongola Family, even if she hated them.

And hate them she did. Aside from being the most powerful Mafia Family around, they were also the reason Mukuro was gone. _Gone._ Forever. If the Tenth Vongola Boss hadn’t gotten in Mukuro’s way and sent him back to prison, then he might still be alive today. But no, the kid just _had_ to make things complicated. And now, because he’d been sent back to Vindice, Mukuro was dead. And even though M.M. knew that Mukuro was powerful, she’d searched through files and files, following any sort of lead – there was no other possible conclusion. The most important man in her life was gone.

It was around the time when this realization hit her that she began to hear rumours of a woman named Kuromu Dokuro who had taken up residence in Kokuyo Land. Furious at the thought of someone occupying _his_ place, M.M. had immediately set out for Japan to give the woman, Ken and Chikusa an earful.

Imagine her surprise when she walked through the doors of the abandoned center only to meet Mukuro’s eyes. Only, they _weren’t_ Mukuro’s eyes. They looked like his eyes – one blue, one red – and they were framed by the same lines, full of the same scorn and personality that Mukuro had but.

They weren’t Mukuro’s eyes.

Instead, they belonged to a mere girl with purple hair styled in the same manner as Mukuro’s and dressed in the female Kokuyo uniform, while Ken and Chikusa sat in two moth-filled cushions.

M.M. stood, transfixed at the sight for a whole ten minutes, before breaking out of her trance and hurling herself at the girl with a snarl.

The two tumbled back, since the Mukuro-look alike had been taken by complete surprise. What ensued was what most people refer to as a cat fight – nail scratching, hair pulling, whatever underhand tactic one can think of. Ken and Chikusa, after several failed attempts, managed to separate them.

“Let me go! LET ME GO! I’m going to _kill_ her! Who the _hell_ does she think she is?!” M.M. thrashed around, but Ken’s grip was firm – she suspected he might be using his Kong channel but her anger clouded her thoughts.

From the floor, the girl chuckled, looking up at M.M. with those horrible eyes. Her lip was busted, allowing blood to flow freely, and her beautiful face was marred with scratches. Chikusa was close to her – not touching her, but keeping guard nonetheless.

“You’re going to kill me, hmm? Well, that’s certainly something I didn’t expect…” the girl chuckled again, amused at M.M.’s expense.

This only served to anger the redhead further, but even by thrashing more violently she was unable to break out of Ken’s hold. Instead, she eventually slumped against the blond, heaving, as choked sobs and tears began to mar her vision. Then she gazed straight at the girl’s eyes, fury, scorn and absolute hatred reflected in the teary orbs.

“I _hate_ you,” it was barely a whisper, and more like a hiss. M.M. then stomped on Ken’s foot, and as soon as he let go, she’d run out.

A few days later, a man named Iemitsu found her at her hotel, and offered her the Vongola Cloud half-ring. M.M. was absolutely against the idea – in fact, she laughed in his face in pure disbelief at first. Then he informed her that _that girl_ was the Mist Guardian candidate, and that if she accepted, M.M. would probably be able to end that unfinished business.

She agreed in a heartbeat: the possibility of ruining Kuromu Dokuro’s pretty face and lithe body on an almost daily basis for even attempting to resemble Mukuro made the proposal all too compelling to refuse.

Because M.M. _loathed_ Kuromu Dokuro with a passion one usually associates with lovers. She could not stand the girl – woman – man, whatever she was. To M.M., Kuromu Dokuro was no more than a ridiculous caricature of Rokudo Mukuro, a man she loved and had the utmost respect for, and she could never hope to be better than him. Kuromu’s very existence was a complete fraud to M.M., and she was outspoken in her hatred, both through her actions and vicious words.

The rest of the Guardians were apprehensive about M.M.: I-Pin avoided her like the plague, Haru tolerated her, Gamma dealt with her from a distance and even ever-friendly Kyoko had a hard time dealing with her. Kuromu would merely smile mysteriously, amused, whenever M.M. directed her hate-filled gaze in her direction.

Only a precious few knew of the real reason for M.M.’s hatred, and they knew better than to go telling others or attempting to calm the woman. M.M. was a one-woman natural disaster – it was said that whenever she was given a mission, none of her targets lived more than an hour.

She had not always been like that. No, the truth was that M.M. loved Mukuro dearly and hated Kuromu, because she felt used and, most of all, _betrayed_. The redhead could not understand why Mukuro would have picked any other woman over her, because she would have gladly given up control of her body for him. But no, the man had to wholly disappear from her life, only to reappear again as a part of a female whole which was as far away from the original as possible. 

But M.M. could never hate Mukuro, so instead she directed all of her anger towards the woman wearing his powers and personality as if they were her own: Kuromu. And whenever she was given a mission, she used all of her anger to accomplish it, seeing Kuromu’s face whenever she killed someone, and hearing Kuromu’s bones crushing instead of her actually targets. 

It was for this reason that M.M. was such a fearful opponent: a Cloud Guardian that would go down in Vongola history for being excessively violent – both to her targets and her own Family.

After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.


	7. Sky

Tsuna had never intended to be a Mafia Boss. He absolutely abhorred the idea, and was well-known for rejecting the title for much of his teenage years. At least until he began to realize that for every bad element he attributed to the Mafia, there was something that made life better for his Family.

Because at the end of the day, Reborn was right. Tsuna was no hero. Tsuna was a kid who had friends he cared deeply about enough to consider them Family, and that he was willing to go to great lengths to protect. At the end of day, Tsuna was indeed a selfish person, who was willing to sacrifice the happiness of others or harm them, if it meant protecting and making life easier for his Family. And he was then willing to bear the burden himself.

Although this was simply one of many, it was the main reason why the Ninth had handpicked him to be the Tenth. Tsuna's selfishness, which he both reproached himself for and acknowledged, made him the ideal Boss for the current Vongola. He was benevolent for the most part, especially to members of his own Family, but whenever someone crossed swords with the Vongola, he would not hesitate to burn them into oblivion. He would not hesitate to order their assassination, or quietly threaten them with bodily harm should they even suggest harming anyone he was close to. Tsuna would be remembered in Vongola history as a benevolent, but nonetheless almost deceptively cunning and powerful Boss.

For as the bearer of the Vongola Sky Ring, it meant he had to shoulder a great responsibility and have a strong will to protect. Yet at the same time, he had to be benevolent and forgiving, thus gaining powerful allies.

The Tenth Generation Vongola Guardians would come to be revered through history as similar to their Boss in that they were all smiles and laughter but strong-willed and powerful when the time called for it. And all of these powerful mafiosi answered to their Boss with the utmost degree of loyalty, although in some cases it was questionable, because of the trust and care he invested in each one of them.

The Storm Guardian of the Tenth Generation was but a child when she was originally selected, and indeed Tsuna had been absolutely against her becoming a Guardian at first. However, as time passed and they all grew, he began to realise what I-Pin herself told him when she visited from the future. That she enjoyed the craziness that living in the Sawada household meant, and that for all the dangers they faced, she felt herself a part of a group, of a Family, for the first time in her life. Thus, Tsuna relented and recognized her as his Storm Guardian, earning thus her respect and loyalty for he had been fun and caring for her as they grew up.

The Rain Guardian, who had originally intended to become his wife but soon relented, was a dear friend, someone whom he turned to often when he needed a new perspective on the situation. For all of the girl's tears in their first confrontation with the Varia all those years ago, she had grown to become a mild-tempered, calm voice of reason whenever the rest of the Guardian’s or the Boss needed it. She had been offered to leave once, and it now shames her to say that she ever considered the offer, because Haru cannot imagine what her life would have been like had she not stayed with them. Because although she grew as a fighter and a mafiosi, she feels that more than anything she grew as a person, and that she can attribute this to her dearest friend and Boss, Tsuna. For this reason, she raises her sword against those who oppose her friend and Family, determined to gain their happiness and peace at whatever cost, always pledging her loyalty for a Boss who could have turned her out once but instead trusted her to stay.

The Sun Guardian, who had quickly become one of his most loyal and feared soldiers, was a touchy subject half the time, even to this day. That the two cared for each other as more than Guardian and Boss, or even as more than friends, was obvious as the light of day. However, due to ancient Vongola traditions originally put in place by the Eight's father, the Boss could not be in any form of romantic relationship with one of their Guardians, because it unfortunately left them both vulnerable to betrayal and it promoted interbreeding. As a result, their relationship was very much look-but-not-touch, yet the persevered. Kyoko's reputation as one of the strongest Guardians and her training sessions with Xanxus and Reborn often resulted in vicious humors by the other Mafia women. Yet none of this bothered her, even as she was witness to them throwing themselves at Tsuna. Because Kyoko was more than anything thankful to Tsuna for allowing her to grow and develop into a powerful, confident woman who had no need to be protected: she could do it herself instead of being kept in the dark and doing the dishes. She loved him for that, of course, and she was quite certain he loved her in return, but she would never be willing to go against the decrees of the Family that had made her into who she was today, not even batting an eyelid at her gender or almost overly feminine disposition. And as for her loyalty to Tsuna, it was never questioned by those that mattered, for they all knew the harsh reality of their situation.

The Thunder Guardian was a curious case, in that very much like the First Guardian he was not even from the Vongola Family or from a not-Mafia connected household, but from a different Mafia Family altogether: the Giglio Nero. He had been vehemently denied by those in the upper echelons at first (who, strangely enough, had not been against a toddler and two middle-school girls), but Gamma's almost frightening efficiency and capability to rein in the other Guardians, even the most problematic, eventually won them over. The fact that in his becoming a part of the Vongola they gained another allied Family was also in his favour. And his renowned skills in combat gave him plus points he did not really need. It was eventually decided that perhaps having a Guardian already familiar with the world of the Mafia in a generation that either knew nothing of it or despised it completely would be for the best. As for Gamma himself, he had been rightfully insulted that his loyalty had even been under question when he found out, because to him his duty as a Right-Hand had been unquestionable since the day Sawada Tsunayoshi saved his life.

The Mist Guardian was another one that raised opposition, because despite appearances old mafiosi were not, in fact, stupid, but could tell that the girl who called herself Kuromu Dokuro was somehow related to the convict Rokudo Mukuro. Her continuous and documented mentions of destroying the Mafia and the Vongola through Tsuna were also presented as evidence against her position. The girl herself did not care for inter-Family politics, however all attempts at taking the Mist Ring from her had encountered nothing but failure. This was because although Kuromu Dokuro was many things, she was not foolish enough to let such a powerful tool slip from her fingers. As a result, she remained the Mist Guardian, and as the years passed and she did them more good than bad, the old mafiosi were forced to accept her. Not that she particularly cared, of course. She was not loyal to them, nor was she loyal to Sawada Tsunayoshi. She just happened to have the utmost respect for the man as a result of glimpses of memories of a Future That Never Was, in which she found herself owing him a great debt. Kuromu doubted he was aware of the fact, however she hated being indebted to anyone, whether they knew of it or not. Thus, she would abstain herself from completing her plans until she judged the debt paid.

If the Mist and Thunder Guardian’s had been questioned, it should come as no surprise that the Cloud Guardian was as well. The woman was a loose cannon on the best days, and there was no telling what she'd do when she snapped. Amongst her victims, Vongola infrastructure was one of her favourites whenever she was mad at her Boss. Complaints about damage costs were never mentioned to her, however, and instead it was Tsuna that was hassled. Yet for all of M.M.'s destructive behaviour, it was undeniable that the woman was determined and efficient in her work, so long as she was kept away from the Mist Guardian, who was all too happy to goad her into destructive mode. Few knew of how the woman had become that destructive force, and less would have guessed that it was as a result of a lost love and what she identified as complete betrayal. Tsuna, of course, knew. And she knew that he knew, for he had just so happened to come upon her in weakest hour and served as a poor source of comfort. M.M. had grudgingly grown to respect him as of that moment, for she knew most men would have turned tail and ran instead of offering comfort, or, as she needed at the moment, offer themselves as a punching bag. Her high regard for him increased, as did her hunger to combat him, when she caught glimpses of what he could eventually become. It was in this sense that she was extremely loyal to him.

Aside from his Guardians, Tsuna had also managed to gain all sort of powerful allies and have them pledge to his cause: Xanxus' grudging obedience (and by association that of the Varia), the support of the Cavallone, the so-called 'taming' of Scorpion Bianchi and her inclusion in CEDEF, and the contact with two up-and-coming geniuses: Irie Shouichi and Spanner. Not to mention the liaison with the Shimon Family, the respect of the Arcobaleno and the mysterious presence of a helpful Byakuran.

Becuase at the end of the day, the Sky _does_ encompass it all. Or at least, all that it can hold dearly. Because Tsuna was selfish, choosing to only protect those important to him, but that was because he was only human.

And it was his acknowledgement of his humanity and faults which made him into what he was: the perfect candidate for the position of Tenth Vongola Boss.

**Author's Note:**

> comments appreciated.


End file.
